Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1993. [Vol. 1.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 21)

STUDIES - András Tamóc: The Politics of a Cast-Iron Man. John C. Calhoun and His Views on Government.

return to the family estate. In the next five years the young Calhoun became an accomplished farmer and avid planter. At his family's urging he resumed his studies, returning to Moses Waddel's boys' school. In 1804 he graduated from Yale University. Having obtained a Bachelor's Degree he read law in Litchfield, Connecticut and Charleston, South Carolina. In 1807 he returned to Abbeville to open a law office and run the family farm. In the same year seething British-American hostilities exploded in the so-called Chesapeake Affair. A British frigate attacked an American merchant vessel, named the Chesapeake, in order to prevent U. S. ships from supplying Napoleon's Europe. London's blatant aggression and the loss of American lives aroused waves of frenetic national resentment. Calhoun's impassionate speech commemorating the event earned him his father's seat in the South Carolina Assembly, paving the way for his ascent in the national legislature. John C. Calhoun entered the national political spotlight as an avid supporter of the second war against Britain, the War of 1812. He started in the House of Representatives' Foreign Relations Committee working his way up to majority floor leader. In 1817 he joined President James Monroe's cabinet as Secretary of War. In 1825 he became John Quincy Adams' VicePresident and remained in the same capacity during Andrew Jackson's first term. Seven years later he resigned citing irreconcilable political and personal differences. In 1833 he was elected to the Senate and with the exception of a brief interval as President Tyler's Secretary of State, he served in the upper house until his death. He left a formidable legislative and intellectual legacy. This essay will examine the main components of his political philosophy: the nullification principle, the Calhounian democracy and an unapologetic defense of slavery. II. The Theory of Nullification Although the American colonies declared independence in 1776 and the Peace of Paris codified the existence of the United States, the nation 91